In urban environments, utility lines such as gas, electricity, water and data/telecommunications, are generally provided to residential or commercial properties either above or below street level. Above street level, utility lines are provided as cables that are carried by poles such as telegraph poles or electricity pylons. Such poles are generally regarded as unattractive and decrease the aesthetics of the streetscape and the value of the surrounding property. Such poles also represent obstacles in urban streetscapes such as pavements in which they hinder pedestrian activity due to the width limitations of the pavement. This is particularly noticeable for pedestrians with prams or pushchairs, or wheelchair bound persons, who may be forced to use the road in order to bypass such obstacles. In addition, such poles and cables when, for example, strung across a road will also preclude high-sided vehicles such as lorries or double-decker buses from being able to pass under the cables safely.
The use of such poles to provide utility lines is often avoided by instead running the utility supplies through a ducting system beneath the streetscape. However, one of the largest disadvantages associated with placing utility lines underground is the cost. This is particularly relevant when maintenance or repair of the underground utility lines is required to be performed, or when a new utility line or utility service is to be introduced. This leads to a further problem where parts of the urban streetscape needs to be dug up in order to gain access to the utility lines to repair them. This in time serves to reduce the quality and durability of the streetscape surface. In many established streetscapes, the economics of constructing a new ducting system based upon existing infrastructure fails due to the high cost associated with the digging and trenching that is required. Moreover, existing ducting system infrastructure is often unsuitable for carrying multiple utility services, particularly those utility services that need to be isolated from one another such as electricity and water or electricity and gas. As such, the cost associated with making additions or modifications to existing ducting systems to introduce multiple utility services is likely to be cost prohibitive. In certain other cases, the use of such ducting systems may also be controlled by just a few parties, thereby creating a barrier to access for other utility companies looking to use the ducting system to supply their own services to residences or businesses. As well as impacting on competition, such control is also likely to have a negative effect on the cost of providing the services to the customer.
The present invention seeks to provide a modular ducting section adapted for laying end-to-end and a ducting system comprising two or more modular ducting sections lying end-to-end which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative.
It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.